The present invention is related to a sensor system for determining at least one of the weight and the position of a seat occupant.
The invention is further related to a method for determining at least one of the weight and the position of a seat occupant.
Vehicles comprise airbags for avoiding serious injuries due to collisions. It is advantageous if the deployment force of an airbag is controlled. The measurement of the weight of a seat occupant in the vehicle is a method to provide controlled data for controlling the deployment force. An airbag should not be deployed or should be deployed with a lower deployment force if, compared to an average adult, a light person or small child sits on a vehicle seat. The weight information and/or position information related to the seat occupant can be used to classify a seat occupant and thereby control the deployment force of the airbag.
EP 1 299 269 B1 discloses a method for classifying vehicle seat occupants using a plurality of weight sensors within a vehicle seat.
EP 1 028 867 B1 discloses a method of determining factors relating to a seat occupant in a vehicle for controlling the reaction of a safety restrain system, using a plurality of spaced weight sensors associated with the vehicle seat.
The center of gravity is used to determine a correction factor representing the ratio of the total weight of an occupant to the weight applied to the seat, when an occupant is seated so as to have the calculated center of gravity. The actual weight of the seat occupant is calculated by multiplying the total applied weight to the vehicle seat by the correction factor.
DE 38 09 074 C2 discloses a security system for a vehicle comprising four sensors for determining the seating position of a seat occupant.
Further weight classification systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,070,115 A, 6,801,111 B1, 6,243,634 B1 or 7,024,295 B2.